


Major Player

by 104



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14404809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/104/pseuds/104
Summary: “Lance. It’s KEITH. Keith KOGANE, man. Your middle school archenemy,” Hunk says, wide-eyed. I must be a little wide-eyed too. I laugh. “Hunk, how come I can’t remember that?”“It’s probably better that you don’t,” he pronounces. “I always thought that he was a nice guy, even if you swore a blood oath of hatred on him.”Uh-oh. There were only a couple of people that I swore blood oaths of hatred on in middle school. “Oh, man. You’re saying he was one of THOSE?” I ask. Hunk nods. “But forget about it, man,” he says hastily. “It’s all ancient history.”Apparently, because even when I slide into my seat in chemistry a few minutes later, I still can’t place him.After a slight incident, Keith has moved to Altea High, and what at first seems like a blessing quickly turns into a curse. However, he's going to give it his best shot, and what with baseball, finding his mom (MIA since first grade), making amends with Lance, and watching the prom come closer and closer like a deer in headlights, hopefully become a major player in his own story in the process.





	1. Major Intro

Keith  
“Hello, are you Keith?”  
I hastily stand up to greet my (young! pretty!) tour guide, hearing an ungodly screech when the rusted feet of the chair scrape the floor behind me. I internally wince. “Yeah. That’s me,” I say.  
“Oh, good! I’m Allura; nice to meet you.” We shake hands and she smiles. She looks the very definition of cool, like she gives tours to nervous transferring students all the time. I wonder how I look. Decidedly not so. “Well, I’m going to be giving you the tour today, so if you would just come this way...”  
We don't go very far before stopping in front of one of the school’s many trophy stands. She looks like she’s waiting for something, so I look in at the contents and try to say something intelligent. There are an awful lot of awards featuring tiny athletes with little golden bats and gloves, so I say, “Altea’s known for baseball?” I don’t know whether I mean it as a comment or a question, because I don’t know if it’s true. I hadn’t done much research on the school before I came. Luckily, she just smiles again and says, “We won state last year. Do you play?” I think back to the few good years in middle school. “Not really,” I say. “That’s a shame. You should join.” I open my mouth to say something, but then we’re off again, this time to the nurse’s office.

Lance  
“Hunk, Hunk, who’s that?” I poke him and point down the hall, where Allura’s giving a new guy a tour. They’re parked awkwardly in front of the trophy case, and the guy turns to say something to her. Poor Allura. She always gives the tours. And gets weird guys hitting on her. A downside of being Miss Personality, I guess.  
Hunk turns and looks. He says, “I don’t know, Lance. Maybe Allura will introduce us,” but then they disappear inside the nurse’s office. So much for that.  
“Wait, wait, wait,” Pidge says. She stares fixedly after them through her huge glasses like she can burn a hole through the door. “Lance, you don’t remember Keith?” she asks, suddenly turning back to me. “Keith?” I ask blankly. “Yeah, Keith. He was in your year. At the Garrison with you guys.” She turns towards Hunk. “Hunk, you remember him, right?” “Um, Keith? Keith Kogane? Scary scissors boy?” Hunk asks nervously. “Relax, that was in, what, fifth grade? He’s probably grown out of it by now,” she says. “After all, this is high school.”

Allura  
The tour is coming to a close, and no matter how awful of me, I’m glad. He seems like a nice boy, but it's painfully obvious that he doesn't want to be here. I met him outside the principal’s office after he sat in a quick meeting about his record, and it's a little difficult to pick up from that. After the trophy case and nurse’s office was the front desk, where we ran into Coran due to its close proximity to the teacher’s lounge.  
“Coran!” I exclaimed.  
“Good morning, Allura!" He nodded politely.  
“Keith, this is Mr. Coran, our physics teacher. Mr. Coran, this is Keith...” I said uncertainly, waiting for him to supply his last name.  
“Kogane,” he said helpfully, and they shook hands.  
“Well, Keith! I hope you find it a good fit here. It's a very good school." He smiled. "Please excuse me, but I must get back to grading!” And with a little bow, he was off.  
“Mr. Coran is an old family friend,” I said, wondering where else I could take him. I suppose if I took him to the different classrooms-  
“Hey, Allura!” We’ve passed Lance, Hunk, and Pidge in the hallway without my noticing. Perfect!  
“Hello, Lance. This is Keith,” I say, retracing my steps slightly. Keith follows after a moment of hesitation. “He just transferred from Galra Prep.”  
“Hey, Keith. This is Hunk and Pidge,” Lance says gamely, if a little confusedly. Keith gives them a little wave.  
“I’m really sorry, but I have to run. I trust that you’ll finish the tour?” I direct at Lance.  
“Oh, um, yeah. Of course,” he says.

Hunk  
I definitely remember him. Scary scissor boy. I know it’s silly, but that’s all that really stood out at the time. But Pidge is right. We should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. And then there was that one time with Lance-  
“So, Keith,” Lance started. “What made you transfer?” He’s looking at him suspiciously. Uh-oh. Keith’s about to reply when I butt in.  
“Hey, Lance, are we still on for laser tag after school today?” I ask, maybe too pointedly. Pidge nods. “Lance?”  
“Oh...yeah.” Lance redirects quickly, to his credit. “Would you like to come?” he asks Keith.

Keith  
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Pidge  
Poor guy. He looks like he needs to be saved.  
“You don’t have to. We can all go later,” I suggest. “Like next week.”  
“No, um, it’s fine. I can come if you want,” he says.  
“Sure,” Lance says easily. The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. Oops. I’m supposed to be at the opposite end of the building, but the time got away from me. “Do you want to meet at the front office after school?” Lance asks.  
Hunk and I agree and Keith says, “Sure?” Everyone kind of disperses, and I’ve just begun high-stepping it down the hallway when I hear loud pounding footsteps behind me. I turn. It’s Keith. “Do you know where Room 111 is?” he pants.

Keith  
“Okay. Before you ask, Pidge is a nickname. My older brother Matt is a twerp,” Pidge declares without preamble as we move at a questionable speed down the hallway. I feel embarrassed for chasing after her, but she was the only one of the trio heading in the right direction. I hope the right direction? I check the doors as we race past just in case. 122. 121. 120. Yeah, right direction.  
“What’s your given name?” I ask. “Katie. Holt.” She extends her hand towards me and I shake it even as we fast-walk. We’re getting some strange looks. “Um, Pidge? Do we have to walk this fast?” She kind of inhales through her nostrils, hard. “Yes.”

Lance  
“You’re saying he’s from Garrison?” I ask Hunk before he splits off for his math class. “Yeah. Dude, you really don’t remember?” he asks. “No. What should I remember?” I ask. “It’s KEITH. Keith KOGANE, man. Your middle school archenemy,” he says, wide-eyed. I must be a little wide-eyed too. I laugh. “Hunk, how come I can’t remember that?”  
“It’s probably better that you don’t,” he pronounces. “I always thought that he was a nice guy, even if you swore a blood oath of hatred on him.”  
Uh-oh. There were only a couple of people that I swore blood oaths of hatred on in middle school. “Oh, man. You’re saying he was one of THOSE?” I ask. Hunk nods. “But forget about it, man,” he says hastily. “It’s all ancient history.”  
Apparently, because even when I slide into my seat in chemistry a few minutes later, I still can’t place him.

Keith  
“Don’t worry about Lance,” Pidge says when we’re finally at 111. “Do you remember him? At all?” she asks. “Um,” I say. “A bit.”  
I know him. He’s Lance McClain. In fifth grade we-  
“I don’t think he remembers you. Or he was so traumatized that he blocked it out, or something,” Pidge says. The late bell rings. “Woah, sorry! I’ve gotta go to class now. You good?” she asks. “Yeah,” I tell her, but I almost wish that I could beg her to stay with me during the humiliating process of meeting a new teacher as a transfer student again.  
But I say, “Yeah,” and she says, “Cool,” and then she’s gone and I’m left outside alone.

But the Lord works in mysterious ways! Because when I push the door open, it’s Coran who’s standing at the head of the class.  
“Oh, hello, Keith!” he says, a little too jolly for a high school teacher. “Hello, Mr. Coran,” I say. “I completely forgot to ask whether I would have you as one of my students,” he says, coming closer. “My sincerest apologies.” He shakes my hand. “Um, no, it’s okay,” I reply. We’ve attracted the attention of a large (though not fatal) portion of the classroom. “You can have a seat right there.” He points to an empty desk in the second row just right of center and adds, “We can talk about catching you up after class.” He smiles, and after a moment I start moving toward it. “Um, thank you.”

Hunk  
The last bell rings, and I almost immediately get a text from Lance.  
“Was he the one that I wrestled over a candy bar”  
I sigh and type back patiently, “Nope. That was Michael Fost”  
“UGHHH”  
“Ik, dude”  
“Um, excuse me,” I hear a girl say. I look up quickly. It’s Shay. And I’m completely blocking the aisle with my irresponsible texting.  
“Oh my gosh, sorry,” I say, squeezing around so I can block another aisle that’s not ours.  
“No, no problem,” she says gently. She leaves.  
Ding. I look down.  
“Do you think he’ll expect me to remember him”  
“I don’t know. Maybe?”

Pidge  
I wait for Keith outside 111 once school’s over. I can see him inside talking to Mr. Coran through the little windows. Mr. Coran is supposed to be Allura’s uncle, but I can’t really see the resemblance. He seems like a fun teacher, at any rate – a student once bought him a shirt with the slogan, “Coran, Coran, the Gorgeous Man,” custom-printed on it, and he’s worn it on the first day of school every year since.  
Finally, he comes out and smiles sheepishly. Mr. Coran shuffles some papers on his desk through the glass. “Sorry, I was just getting caught up on some stuff.” “It’s fine,” I say. “You still want to go laser tagging?” He nods. “Yeah, if you want me there.” “No, it’s not that,” I say quickly. “It’s...Lance?” he asks, like he doesn't expect that to be the answer. But it’s my turn to nod. “That was a long time ago,” he says after a moment of pause. I nod vigorously. “I know! But he’s never gotten over it.” “Okay,” he says. “Do you still want me to come?” I hesitate. “Yeah. No time like the present for getting over old rivalries.” He smiles at that.

Allura  
I run into Lotor on my way to the student council meeting after school.  
“Allura,” he says. “Oh, hello, Lotor,” I say, painfully aware of my late reaction.  
He gives me a searching look, and I suppose the conversation is over, because I move off again. “Good to see you.”  
“Allura,” he says, a little less firmly this time. I look back. He’s still standing in the same place, so I retrace my steps until we’re eye-to-eye again.  
“The year’s halfway over,” he says. “Yes,” I respond.  
“I’m going to college soon,” he says. “Congratulations.” We stare at each other, and I’m afraid I’ve annoyed him.  
“Where?” I ask, hoping to smooth things over. He shrugs. “I don’t know.” “But you must have-” I say, surprised. “No,” he interrupts me. “I don’t know.”  
Another silence. “Well-” I begin. He shakes his head. “I know that-” He stops. “Know what, Lotor?” I prompt, hoping to be gentle. “Can you forgive me?” he says finally. I stare. “There’s nothing to forgive,” I say. He looks surprised. “It wasn’t your fault.” And then I turn away.

Lance  
Pidge and Keith are late. “What do you think, Hunk?” I ask. “Think he’s stood us up?” Hunk looks doubtful. “I don’t think so, Lance,” he says.  
And, lo and behold! Pidge and Keith are rounding the corner.  
“Okay! Let’s gooooooooo!” I say. Pidge grins, and Keith manages a reluctant smile. “Are we walking?” he asks no one in particular.  
“Nah. My older sister’s driving us,” I say.  
“Oh? Diana?” Hunk asks.  
I laugh. “Don’t get your hopes up, Lover Boy.” Hunk blushes. “Just asking.”

After waiting for a few more minutes and discussing the plan, Diana pulls up in the minivan.  
“Okay,” I announce, hopping up to the curb. “Let’s get this party started.”


	2. Major Laser Tag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Keith head out for a game of laser tag enabled by Diana and her trusty minivan. Unfortunately, Keith might have to learn on the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry, but I completely disregarded the good advice I got about the POVs. There're still 4 (I couldn't bring myself to cut any out), but each entry is a little longer this time. Hope that helps a bit!

Keith  
Oh god, oh god, oh god, what have I gotten myself into?  
Lance calls shotgun, scrambling into the front and snapping a playful, “Oh no, you don’t,” at Hunk, which makes his sister laugh. Hunk smiles too as he climbs into the way back, generously leaving Pidge and me the middle. After a friendly, “Hey, Diana,” “Hey, Pidge,” exchange, Pidge slides in afterwards and wiggles her eyebrows at me excitedly.  
“Oh! Sorry. Keith, this is Diana; Diana, this is Keith. He just transferred from Galra Prep,” Lance says, twisting around in his seat to better introduce us. Diana smiles. “Hi, Keith.” “Hello.” She puts her blinker on and pulls away from the curb. “Sooo, are you liking Altea so far? I used to go here.” She tosses a quick glance back at the receding school for sentimentality. “I had a great time. It’s a good school.” The comment eerily resembles Coran’s about Altea earlier this afternoon. But everything considered, very true. “Um, it’s really nice,” I offer. “That’s ’cuz we’re a rich kid school,” Lance says flippantly. Diana rolls her eyes. “It’s true!” Lance insists. “Guys, guys,” Hunk says from the back, and I wonder exactly how many times he’s had to mediate in the War of the Squabbling McClain Siblings.

The laser tag place is only fifteen minutes in the minivan, and Diana drops us off in front. It looks like a huge party place. Apparently, we’re at a snazzy place called the Space Mall, which, despite my living in the city for seventeen years, I have never heard of.  
“Here we arrre,” she sings. “Have a good time. Everyone..." She pauses and we all lean in. "Kick Lance’s butt.” “Hey!” Lance protests. “Just kidding,” Diana says. But as we get out she adds, “But seriously.” Hunk and Pidge laugh, and she floors it when Lance turns around, deeply offended.

Pidge  
“Have you ever been laser tagging before?” I ask Keith. Lance and Hunk are paying for the wristbands at the counter.  
“Oh. No,” he says. “I guess not.”  
“Well, you’re about to be treated to the most fun you’ve had in, like, your entire life,” Lance announces, strutting back over to us. Hunk thanks the counter guy again and reappears behind him.  
“I-” Keith says, but then counter guy calls out, “We’re gonna start in five minutes, guys, so please make your way over to the doors!” He points a heavily rubber-banded arm to the back of the warehouse.  
Hunk waves in acknowledgement and then we all face inwards again. Keith’s frowning, and he sounds pretty concerned when he finally speaks. “Thanks for inviting me today, but I’m probably going to suck.” “It’s totally fine,” Hunk says. “The first time I came in with Lance, I lost all the points for our team because I shot myself. Thrice.”

Lance and Hunk slap the wristbands on me and Keith, and when we eventually migrate to the back, Counter Guy has already set up the arena and the guns. Okay, I can’t keep calling him Counter Guy. It’s degrading. I eye his nametag. Rolo. A senior?  
Rolo announces, “Okay, guys. Let’s put your names in your guns here.” He slaps the computer top in front of him for emphasis.  
“You mean, like, nicknames?” Lance asks. Rolo nods solemnly. Lance looks back at us. We look back at him. He shrugs, turns around again, and declares, “Sharpshooter.” As Rolo types in the name, Hunk sniggers. “What?” Lance protests. “Sharpshooter?” Hunk asks incredulously. “Not your best work,” I chime in. Lance glares at us and waves us ahead.  
“How about...Hunk,” Hunk suggests. “You’re popular with the ladies?” Rolo asks tonelessly as he enters the name on the ancient keyboard. I swear, Hunk blushes. “Uh, n-n-no. It’s my name.” “Oh, come on,” Lance says. “So boring. A nickname, Hunk, a nickname. Like Master Chef.” Rolo nods in approval. “You want that instead?” he asks. “S-sure,” Hunk stammers. He still hasn’t gotten over the ladies comment.  
I roll my eyes. “Well, I want Pigeon,” I say loudly when it becomes clear that Keith isn’t exactly eager to volunteer. “How about...Samurai?” Keith asks when it's his turn. “Classy,” Rolo grunts. “This is laser tag, not laser slash,” Lance says under his breath. Keith's reply? “Oh, shut up."

Hunk  
In hindsight, WHO thought that putting people together in dimly lit spaces with guns was a good idea? Seriously?  
“Do you guys wanna all be against each other or go in teams of two?” the guy asks.  
“Teams first,” Lance answers, looking at us for approval. “Maybe for the last one we can all go crazy.” He turns back to Rolo. “Can we do that?” “Yeah, sure.” Rolo randomly splits us into two teams. “Okay. Watch this safety video.” It blares to life on the screen behind him. After two minutes of DON’T’s flashing across the screen (assault other players, climb the scenery, snack, you know), it ends with a chirpy message to have fun. Rolo instructs us to don our vests and pick up our guns. The words “Master Chef” glow brightly from the tiny monitor on the back of mine. Really, Lance?  
“You ready?” he asks, bright-eyed. I nod. We won’t know who we’re teamed up with until we get inside and our vests change color. “More suspense that way,” Rolo explained.  
We file in. I figure everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Lance is an okay marksman, but he gets way too into it and tires himself out as time goes on. Pidge is small, but positively wicked when she gets competitive. Years of friendship, down the drain. Of course, I don’t really know Keith, but he looks capable, even if this is his first time going laser tag. He’ll figure it out.

Keith  
Oh my god what is happening I can’t-  
“Ready?” Rolo’s voice rolls over the arena from the speakers.  
“Um,” I say. Pidge shushes me.  
“Yeah,” Lance yells.  
“Okay. Here we go.” Suddenly, our lights turn on. It takes me about five seconds to register that Hunk and Lance are blue before Pidge suddenly grabs my vest and drags me up an incline.  
“Pidge!” I say. “Sorry!” she squeaks as we thunder up the ramp. “But you weren’t moving!”  
When we get to the top, Pidge sprints further inside the second level and then ducks behind a low wall. The lights on our vests are reflecting all over the place. Red.  
“Okay, so what’s our game plan?” she pants. “We need a game plan?” I pant back at her. She nods. “I thought that it was just, like, shoot-em-up style,” I say stupidly. I can’t see her face very well in the dark, but I can tell she’s pleased with what she's about to say. In a nature-documentary-voiceover tone, she says deeply, “Lance and Hunk are an unstoppable force. We must be the immovable object.” “Please don’t quote memes at me,” I say before she shushes me loudly, again, and says, “They’re coming!” I can hear loud footsteps on the ramp. “You get Lance, I’ll get Hunk?” she asks. But then they reach the top of the ramp and everything kind of goes haywire.

Hunk  
Keith’s not a bad guy. He just sucks at laser tag. So I shoot his vest about four times when he stands up, way too slowly. Pidge, man, she’s already gone. Then Keith gets the idea and runs, too.  
I stop and pant at Lance, “This is almost too easy.” He nods smugly. “No one can stand against us. We are the Kings of laser tag.” “I kinda feel bad for them, though,” I say. “I mean, this IS Keith’s first-”  
Then we both get shot.

Pidge  
I’m laughing like a maniac as Keith and I barrage them from our perch. They don’t know what to do. “I told you this was a good idea!” I yell at him. “Maybe!” he yells back. We stop firing when they duck behind the same wall we were hiding behind.  
I swipe at my forehead and Keith and I both collapse behind a partition. Our guns clunk awkwardly against us. Keith sighs. “This is way too much effort,” he says. “Maybe. But I - so - want to win.” I peek behind us again. They still haven’t emerged. I face forward. “Now that we’ve got them where we want them-” He raises an eyebrow. “Okay. Kinda got them where we want them-” He nods –“what do we do now?” He shrugs. “Let’s just wait them out until Rolo calls the time.” “Hey, that’s no fun,” I protest. He shrugs again. “Do you wanna win?” he asks. I hunker down again. “I guess.”

Lance  
I whine, “This is so unfair.” Hunk shakes his head and smiles. “They got up the ramp first.” Well, I can’t exactly argue with that, so I switch tracks and say, “What do you think? Charge?” He thinks. “Maybe. But they got us pretty good with the last one. I don’t know whether we’ll be able to make up enough points.”  
“That’s why you’ve got me,” I say. And then because of the dubious expression on his face, I clarify, “Me. Sharpshooter.” He just snorts.

Keith  
Pidge and I suffer a rout when they make another charge, but then we all leapfrog so much I don’t know who’s in the lead anymore. Finally, Rolo calls out, “Time! Please return to the door.”  
We shuffle back sweaty and exhausted, but excited. Alive. Pidge and Hunk high-five. Lance nods at me instead, and I nod back.  
Rolo welcomes us back. “Okay, guys. It was close, but...” He hits something on his keypad and the results come up on the screen.  
1st: Master Chef  
2nd: Pigeon  
3rd: Samurai  
Last: Sharpshooter  
The gaps between the point values aren’t that much, but...Lance curses, and I have officially won my first game of laser tag.

Hunk  
I can’t believe we lost! But Pidge and Keith are good. They high-five awkwardly. I sneak a glance over at Lance. He’s moping, but that’s to be expected. “Hey, cheer up, man,” I say, whacking him on the back. He turns the sad-dog eyes at me. “Last, Hunk,” he says. “Dead last.” “There’s still one more game. I’m sure it was just a fluke.” He’s not convinced. “Some Sharpshooter I am.” I sigh. “Lance.” He looks up. “Don’t talk like that.” I take him by the shoulders and shake him a little. “This is a game of freaking laser tag.”

Pidge  
“Alright, guys,” Rolo says. I wonder how many times he’s said "guys" to us in the last thirty minutes. “Wanna go in for your second game? Wild style?” We all say yes, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Surprisingly, Keith sounds the least excited. But the defeat must’ve hit Lance hard. I can see the determination in his eyes.  
As we file back into the dark arena, Hunk takes me aside. We’re the last ones in, so the door shuts loudly behind us. “Hey, Pidge,” he says seriously. “Yeah?” “I’m just gonna let Lance win this one.” “Okay,” I say. “Wait, should I?” I'm a little disappointed, but I think my pride can suffer a hit. We did win the last one, after all. He shrugs. “If you want. But I’ve already won individually. I think I’ll take it easy.” “Okay,” I say again. I sigh. “Maybe I’ll just do that.”

Lance  
Man, I am in it to win it. What kind of guy names himself Sharpshooter and then gets dead last in a laser tag competition? Behind Master Chef, Pigeon, and Samurai, which isn’t even the freaking sport?  
“We’re gonna start in three, two, one,” Rolo says boredly over the loudspeakers. I take a deep breath. Time to show ’em up.

Keith  
Our vests all light up at once at the end of the counter guy’s countdown, and I immediately sprint up the ramp again. I notice that my vest lights are red again. Telling from the little vibrations and the whiny powering-down sound, I get shot in the back, but I don’t turn around to see who it was. With such a free-for-all, people must be getting competitive.  
I duck behind a different wall and try to catch my breath. I think I can hear Pidge laughing down below, still on the first floor. I don’t really feel like trying to fight it out for first place this time, especially with so many competitors.  
But until someone comes up...I lean over the second-floor wall to see if I can hit anyone easily from up here. Unfortunately, no go. They’re well under the balcony and I can’t even see the lights from their vests.  
Suddenly, I hear footsteps pounding up the ramp. There’s really nowhere to hide. My vest lights will give me away, anyway. So I’m standing there frozen as...

Lance  
He’s just standing there, motionless. He’s not trying to run or fend me off or even saying, “Oh, shit.” Just standing. And then I remember something. Oh.

Hunk  
Lance disappeared upstairs a while ago, but I’m not hearing anything. Pidge and I put on a fake firefight for the first minute or so, but now that he’s gone we’re just standing relaxed in the middle of the floor. Pidge looks at me curiously. “What do you think?” She whispers. I shrug. “They’ll probably figure it out.”  
And then we hear a bunch of phony shots and a belated, “Oh, shit.” Lance. Pidge and I look at each other and then run up the stairs.

Keith  
He was standing there staring at me like an idiot, so I did what I had failed to do when I had first head him coming. I shot him. In the vest. A lot.  
“Oh, shit,” he said, and then scrambled for his gun. Then I ran away, and the moment of awkwardness was lost in an intense, actual game of dog-eat-dog laser tag until I’d almost forgotten it.

Hunk  
“Why are the numbers so low?” Lance asks, poking at the screen. It’s true. Pidge and I really held off, so we side-eye each other nervously. But then Lance just smiles. Oh, oblivious Lance! “It must’ve been hard for you when I actually got serious,” he says, grinning. Pidge and I roll our eyes, but I know what we're both thinking. We’re secretly kinda relieved.  
The scoreboard ended up like this:  
1st: Sharpshooter  
2nd: Samurai  
3rd: Pigeon  
Last: Master Chef  
There’s only a one-point difference between Keith and Lance, but thankfully Lance isn’t taking it to heart. “Burned out, big guy?” Rolo asks me suddenly. I squirm at the nickname. “I guess,” I say. “It’s ok, Hunk,” Lance says, patting me on the shoulder. “We can’t all be legends.”

Keith  
Diana picks us up in the minivan shortly thereafter. After all the excitement, we’re pretty tanked. She asks, “You guys beat Lance for me?” Lance scoffs. “As if, Diana. I creamed all of their butts on the individual game.” Diana sighs, long and loud. “You guys! You’ve done me such a disservice. If his head gets any bigger it won’t fit in my minivan.” We all laugh at that, even Lance.  
I get unreasonably nervous when she asks my address as soon as we exit the parking lot. I mean, she’s a grown woman. It’s not like she’s never been downtown before. “It’s-It’s a bit far,” I say nervously. “That’s ok. Where?” So I tell her. Luckily, she doesn’t bat an eye, like say, “That’s the poor part of town,” or, “That’s really near Galra Prep,” or, “Can you assure the safety of my precious minivan?” Instead, she just asks, “Hunk, do you want to get dropped off at the restaurant or home?” Hunk thinks for a moment. “Restaurant, I think,” he responds finally. “Okay. Then Hunk first, Pidge second, Keith third, and us last,” she lists out to Lance. He’s scrolling on his phone in the passenger, so he just nods.  
I lean back and settle in. It’s going to be a long ride.


	3. Major Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk, Pidge, and Keith get home safely, Lance makes a tactless mistake, and the next day Hunk and Allura explore some unlikely new friendships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has aO3 always not had indents?

Wednesday (continued)

Hunk  
When Diana pulls up to my parents’ restaurant, I wave goodbye to everyone (good luck, Keith), wiggle out of the van, and then enter through the staff entrance. It’s usually busy in the evenings, and today is no exception: behind the scenes, everyone’s in motion. “Hey, Z, where are my parents?” I ask one of the chefs. He looks up from a plate. “Hi, Hunk. Visiting with the patrons,” he says. I nod. “Thanks.”  
I push through the doors and see them with one of the couples in the corner. Regulars? “Hunk,” my mom says when I get a little closer. She turns to the woman of the pair: “Mrs. Jones, this is my son, Hunk.” The woman shakes my hand. She looks a little familiar, but I don’t know why. I realize that I’m staring when my mom continues, “He’s a junior at Altea High,” in the distance. The man perks up. “Our daughter, Shay, goes there.” Then to me: “Do you know Shay Jones?” Shay! “Yeah!” I say, maybe too excitedly. “Yeah. She is so much better at precalc than I am.” They laugh, and I think, “Small world.”

Pidge  
Diana pulls right up to the front door, which is nice of her, so I stand on the stoop and wave until they’re gone. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d be walking back out to the mailbox, which I do guiltily as soon as the car turns a corner. Nothing. I sigh and punch the code to bring down the garage door.  
Mom isn’t home yet, so I stop by the kitchen and grab a biscuit. No letter on the counter, either. I detour to Matt’s room. I can hear some pop music pounding in there, despite his protests that he only listens to manly, manly hip-hop.  
Yes. He said that.  
I roll my eyes even before I knock on the door. “Matt?” I don’t think he can hear me over country-days Taylor Swift, so I push it open. “Matt?”  
He’s lying on his bed with a textbook, and sure enough, his iPod is connected to the speakers. He looks up and is immediately mortified. “Matt. I didn’t think you’d embrace your inner cowgirl, I’m so proud,” I say smugly. He smiles reluctantly, but then composes himself. “How was laser tagging?” he asks. “Same old, same old,” I say. “Won team but not individual. Oh! We took a new kid. Keith Kogane.” He nods distractedly, and I think he knows the real reason I’m in here getting my ears bruised. Sure enough, he says tentatively, “If you came to ask about a letter, I’m sorry, but nothing’s come yet.” I don’t do a very good job of hiding my disappointment. “Oh. Okay.” I turn back around. “Sorry to disturb you and your weird Swiftie ritual.”  
He scrambles into an upright position. “No, no! I know you miss him,” he says, which I think is pretty bold. “I do, too. But he’s coming home soon.” I interrupt him. “I know. Sorry.” And then I leave. I don’t want him to think that he has to take care of me. He’s already got enough on his plate. Quite literally, unfortunately, because he’s also the captain of the baseball team. Go Paladins.

Lance  
It’s just us and Keith in the car by now, and he’s not saying anything. I hum and shake my leg until Diana shoots a glare at me and mouths, not very subtly, “Talk to him.” She faces forward at the road again. I almost sigh, but instead I just launch right into it. I turn around in my seat. “Keith?” He looks up. “Why did you transfer?” In my peripheral vision, Diana looks shocked. Probably not her idea of a good conversation topic. He just looks like he’s caught. Almost like in the laser arena, but not quite. I push the thought down. Later.  
He looks at me for a long moment. Diana says, “Keith, I’m so sorry. You don’t have to answer that.” But then he looks away and says, “No, it’s ok.” He takes a deep breath. “I got in a fight. It was serious. The other kid had to go to the ER.” I’m a little nervous; I won’t deny it. “It was an accident?” I ask. He nods. Nothing else seems to be forthcoming after that, so I turn around again slowly and look through the windshield and into the night.

Keith  
It’s dark by the time they drop me off. Diana wishes me good night right away, but I already have the key in my hand and am in the waving part of the farwell when Lance says, “See you tomorrow,” from his rolled-down passenger window. We didn’t talk much after my confession. But at least they didn’t look scared I’d suddenly assault them or something.  
I sigh as they pull away, then let myself into the house with the spare key. My dad’s home - I can tell from the car in the garage - but I don’t really feel like talking about my day, so I just set my alarm to wake me up early and get ready for bed. It wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting from my first day at Altea, but it was better. Definitely.

 

Thursday

Pidge  
“You’re kinda distracted, Lance.” I poke him. We’re sitting at the lunch table the day after laser tag. He sighs. “Of course I’m kinda distracted. So would you be if you realized a random guy you met again in high school was your middle school archenemy.” “Oh? And why was that?” I ask skeptically. Hunk pipes up from the other side of the table, “Yeah, dude. It wasn’t that big of a deal.” “It WAS a big deal.” He talks over Hunk, loudly. Hunk knows more about what happened than I do, so I just keep my mouth shut and hope he’ll enlighten me. He patiently sets his sandwich down. “Lance. I’m sure that he didn’t mean to break your leg.” My mouth pops open. “Lance, he BROKE your LEG?!?!” I ask. “I know!” he exclaims. Hunk gives me a look like, “Not helping.” “Sorry,” I mouth. He shakes his head and returns to Lance. “It was an accident. You guys were playing rough, right?” “I wonder what happened to that kid at his old school,” Lance says, ignoring the question. “If that was just an accident, too.”  
He flops over and I can tell he’s getting more agitated. “I looked it up, Hunk! It’s a miracle they even let him transfer here, honestly. He put the kid in the ER! He lost his EYE!” The last part is undeniably loud. I look up. Lance can’t see it, but Keith is frozen a few feet away from our table, obviously en route. We lock eyes, but then he quickly turns on his heel and he’s gone.

Keith  
Shiro’s call probably couldn't come at a worse time. I don’t know what made him decide the middle of the afternoon was the perfect time for a chat, but it’s just a shame. I almost decline the call, but then I think better of it and duck into a stairwell. I swipe accept.  
Before he even says hi, I say, “Shiro. They know.” “Know what?” He’s in a good mood, damn it. “That you slept with a toy sword in your bed until you were ten?” he jokes. “Not that,” I say impatiently. “The fight.” Thankfully, Shiro is silent at that, until he says gently, “Keith, it wasn’t your fault. You were provoked.”  
“Then whose was it? Because everyone I’ve met here is treating me like a criminal,” I say bitterly. The principal. Allura. Mr. Coran. Lance. And soon Hunk and Pidge, now that they know about it.  
“They know it wasn’t,” he says firmly. “They wouldn’t let you transfer to ALTEA if you had some kind of criminal history.” That makes a little sense. Just a little. Altea is a rich kid school. “Keith. Take a deep breath.” I do. “I think the best thing to do now is just explain to them what happened. It was an accident. They’ll understand.” I’m silent for a long time wondering whether it’ll be enough until Shiro finally says, “Keith? Are you still there?” I nod my head, then say, “Yeah. I’ll tell them.” I check the hallway for witnesses of my temporary insanity (all clear) and step out of the stairwell. “Thanks, Shiro.” “My pleasure. How-” “Sorry. Gotta go.” I hang up hoping he’ll forgive me later, but then the hallways flood as the bell rings.

Hunk  
“Hey, Shay?” She’s searching through her pencil case at her desk. “Shay?” She doesn’t look up. I squeeze around someone’s chair, mutter a quick apology, and then stand behind her chair, which is definitely creepy, but she still hasn’t noticed me. Feeling a little awkward (y’know, just a little), I clear my throat and say, “Shay?” She starts in her seat, then smiles when she turns around.  
“Hi, Hunk.” After a moment’s hesitation, I say, “Your parents were at our restaurant last night.” Her eyes widen in excitement. “Oh! They were telling me about it. The food was fantastic! They brought me takeout; it was delicious.” “About that.” I’m beginning to get more excited myself. “Would your family like to come again sometime? My parents would love to treat you.” She opens her mouth, then closes it in shock. Finally, she says,“Wow! That’s very...generous.” She shakes her head a little. “I’ll definitely ask. Thank you so much! Please thank your parents.” “Of course!” I go back to my desk, and when I look back I see her open her phone with a small smile.

Lance  
Oh, I’m so screwed.  
Diana really chewed me out for asking The Forbidden Question yesterday, and according to Pidge I just dug my own grave. He saw me freaking out at lunch, which, I must say, was NOT my finest moment. The worst thing, though? Both Diana and Pidge said the same exact thing, in the same exact grim tone: “Apologize.” In that moment, they were one maternal voice of disappointment united against male stupidity. Anyway, I will. Of course.  
Pidge told me that his last class is Mr. Coran, so I can ambush him there. And I have a Proposition, with a capital P. Hopefully everything will work out. Hopefully, hopefully.

I bolt from chemistry and wait by the door to Mr. Coran’s classroom. Keith’s the last one out, and he looks like he’s calmed down a bit since this afternoon. I haven’t. In fact, I’m probably even more worked up.  
“Keith?” I say. It comes out a little more panicked than I expect, and he looks like I really have ambushed him. “Lance? Yeah, I just wanted to explain that it really was an accident. He came at me first, and-” He’s starts to babble on me. “Wuh-wuh-wuh-wait.” I cut him off. “Actually, I’m here to apologize for asking in the first place. I know it was just a mistake.” He looks a little relieved then. “Really?” I nod. “Really.” I switch tracks. “Man, did Diana give me a dressing-down yesterday! I got the full, ‘Lance, you are a shame to the McClain family-’” He looks stricken, and I stop.  
“No, no. I apologized because I wanted to. And Diana wasn’t too bad. More disappointed in me than anything. I swear, I understand.” At the last part, he seems to deflate. “Thank you,” he mumbles. “Don’t thank me,” I say immediately. “Just...do you want to sit with us at lunch from now on? For real? We’re always in the same place.” He looks at me for a bit, and I’m scared that I’ve done the exact wrong thing. Again. But he smiles instead. It’s a nice change, let me tell you. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Allura  
I’ve been sitting in a club meeting for about fifteen minutes when the door to the classroom opens. Heads swivel. The club head falters in the middle of his speech. I turn around and nearly gasp. It’s Lotor and four other seniors. I wasn’t aware that they belonged to the Helping Hands Charity Club. He seems to realize what a disruption he’s making and says curtly, “My apologies.” Then he and the girls take some empty seats on the other side of the classroom. I can’t help but stare until Acxa looks my way and I turn back to the meeting.

I’m set on leaving as soon as the club meeting concludes, but the club head asks me to stay after. He mentions something about the prom and I realize quite belatedly that he’s on my prom committee. I haven’t called any meetings of my own yet (oops), and he’s concerned that we’re leaving it for too late. I try to answer his questions as intelligently as I can and watch out of the corner of my eye as Lotor and the others file out. I feel a little let down, but then I return my attention to the club head and assure him that a meeting is imminent.

I’m walking to the parking lot when I see Lotor waiting farther down on the sidewalk, alone. My pace slows drastically. I could probably turn around without him noticing, but that would make me feel a bit foolish. He looks up, notices me, and waves. I reluctantly start walking again.  
“Allura. I wanted to talk,” he says when I’ve gotten within earshot.  
“Never a good sign,” I say feebly, stopping a little to the side of him.  
He looks at me curiously, and I say, “Sorry. What did you want to talk about? And where are your friends?”  
“Friends? Oh, Acxa...They’re on their way home. I just wanted to have an opportunity to speak to you.”  
“I’m flattered,” I say, but I’m still really asking, “What’s going on?”  
Sure enough, he takes a deep breath. “I will not be going to the Empire for college.” “You’re-?” I gasp. He smiles ruefully. “Despite my father’s protests.”  
I stare. “Well. I was not expecting that.”  
“Yes. Instead, I will be attending Oriande...If they’ll accept me.” He adds the last part as an afterthought.  
I nod distractedly. “I’m sure they will. This is...very interesting information. Thank you for sharing it with me, Lotor.”  
At that moment, my father pulls up. He looks surprised, and I hastily bid goodbye to Lotor. He waves, but I don’t dare watch him as we pull away. Instead I wait until my father asks, “Was that...Lotor?” a few moments later to bring it up. I’m still trying to sort it out.  
“Yes,” I say, clipped. “He has applied to Oriande.” He opens his mouth, then closes it. “That is a very prestigious school,” he says at last. “Are you considering it?” Discussing college plans seems a little far from what we’re both thinking, but I sigh and say, “I am.” I clear my throat. “Still.”  
He catches my eye and delves a little deeper into the heart of the matter. “Do you think you and Lotor will ever reconcile?” I shrug. “It’s really up to him.” “Why? Can’t it be up to you?” he asks. “I would, but I don’t know how he feels about it.” I turn away and hope he’ll drop it. But after a while, he says gently, “Normally, it’s in these situations that those who are in the right comfort those in the wrong. However backwards that sounds.” He turns back to the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit that I nearly copied-and-pasted eight pages’ worth of notes on the Second World War into the submission box which, while highly enlightening, was not really the goal.


	4. Major Disappointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Matt practice baseball, Hunk and Shay meet for dinner, and Pidge sends a letter

Friday

Keith  
Sitting with Hunk, Pidge, and Lance the next day is quite the experience. For everyone but me, it’s not just sitting. Lance keeps dashing off to talk to other people (okay, maybe it’s just girls) and returning just as quickly; Pidge buys her lunch from Altea’s cafeteria (which is a cut above regular public school fare, so I can hardly blame her) and waits in line for half the hour, and only Hunk is at base consistently enough to ask me questions about my first few days.  
Once, Pidge’s brother Matt wanders over in the last few minutes of the period. “Keith, this is my older brother, Matt. He’s the one I told you about,” she grunts by way of introduction.  
He looks nice enough. “You gave her the nickname?” I ask. His smile instantly turns regretful. “Yeah. I think I was trying to call her a Smidge when we were younger. Because she’s so small,” he says, shooting a quick look at Pidge. “Well, you messed that one up,” she says, with just enough fake frustration in it for me to know that it’s a running joke. He gives her an apologetic shrug.  
After a few more minutes of small talk, she suddenly announces, “Matt’s the captain of the baseball team.” She jerks a thumb at me. “Keith was thinking of trying out,” she explains. I immediately blush. “Maybe,” I say. I mentioned it to her once when she asked whether I played any sports, a few days ago, but she hadn’t mentioned it then. “Oh, cool!” His eyes light up. “I can definitely help you practice, if you want. Before you try out. I’m pretty out of shape, too.”  
“Thanks,” I say, surprised. The offer’s quite generous, especially from a near-stranger. “I might take you up on that.”  
“No problem.”  
Lance clears his throat. “Okay, okay. But the real question: How am I going to ask Nyma to prom?” After a very pregnant pause (Hunk and Pidge side-eye each other), Matt laughs. “Good luck, Lance. Nyma is pretty tough.” It’s like a bubble bursts after that, and everyone loudly discusses Lance’s odds.  
The general consensus?  
No chance in hell.

Lance  
Today’s the big day! “Hunk.” I slap him on the back. “Don’t wait for me. I’ll text you later.” “Lance,” he says, but I’m already off. Normally I would never do anything this early, but according to Diana, punctuality is attractive. “So is intelligence,” she’d muttered, which was just a little mean.  
“What’s he doing?” I hear Keith ask Hunk. He’d begun joining us at our usual rendezvous after school, but for once I can’t stay and chat. I am a Nyma-seeking missile at the moment. She should be hanging out in the yard after school, we normally pass her there. “Asking Nyma to prom,” Pidge explains. I turn around and give them a salute. They all look at me like I’ve lost my mind.

Thankfully, Nyma is right where I’d hoped, and alone to boot. “Nymaaa!” I exclaim when I get a little closer. She’s standing in the shade of one of the big trees, and I join her. “Lance,” she says with a discouraging lack of enthusiasm, then looks up from her phone. “Did you need something?” “Yes,” I say. “In fact-”  
A guy hurdles out of nowhere (actually probably just from the main entrance, but with superhuman speed) and slings his arm around her. “Nyma, can we go soon? They want me to take the early shift.” She wraps hers around his waist and says, “Sorry, Lance.” I suspect that she knows about the purpose of my mission. “It’s cool. Thanks anyway,” I say, and turn away.  
“Wait- Sharpshooter?!” the guy gasps. I turn around again. “Excuse me?” Then I recognize him - the guy from the laser tag place! “R-Rolo?” I ask. “Yeah. See you later, Sharpshooter.” I nod dumbly. After one last glance at Nyma, who holds my gaze coolly, I turn around and finally walk away.

Pidge  
“Pidge?” Matt yells after he comes in from checking the mailbox. “Matt?” I say. I’m still at the counter, popping biscuits. I think I’m addicted. He triumphantly sets a letter on the counter. “No way,” I gasp, and then I almost choke. “Dad,” he explains, and whacks me on the back. I wheeze, “Can you read it to me?” After finding me in a stable enough state to continue, he reaches for the envelope again.  
There’re two pieces of paper inside: one for Mom and one for us. “Ours,” Matt says, and I nod. Not only is opening other people’s mail horribly immoral, but I honestly can’t think of what he would have to say to Mom that he wouldn’t have to say to us. As if to prove my point, the general consensus after Matt finishes reading is: it’s the usual. He misses us, he wishes he were here for my freshman year, he can’t believe that Matt is graduating, and he despairs over all the episodes of the Walking Dead he’ll have to catch up on when he finally comes home. There are two small articles of information that catch my interest, though: his return is still scheduled for May 1st, and he has a surprise for us. “A surprise?” I interrupted Matt when he got to that part in the letter. He nodded and squinted at the line again. “Definitely a surprise. Unless it says surplus.” Dad has true caveman handwriting. “Okay,” I said. But I linger on that section even after he reads the closing.

Hunk  
Shay comes up to me before class starts. “Hey, Hunk. I asked my parents about the dinner, and they appreciate your offer very much. When’s a good time?” I’m glad that they decided to come. “My parents actually suggested tomorrow night, if you can make it,” I say. She nods enthusiastically. “Thanks. They’re really excited.”  
“Okay, guys. Let’s start class,” Mrs. Ralph says pointedly from her desk. Shay and I giggle nervously and head back to our seats.  
A few minutes later, there’s an announcement: “I have you guys doing a partner project about the real-world application of precalc, due in three weeks. Please think about who you’re going to ask soon, because the deadline’ll really sneak up on you.” I try to catch Shay’s eye then, but she’s still looking fixedly at Mrs. Ralph. Suddenly, she turns her head and we make eye contact. She nods. I nod, and we both smile like we’ve gotten away with something.

Keith  
Due to Pidge’s heroic efforts in wrangling our numbers out of us at lunch yesterday, I got Matt’s cell and was able to ask him whether he was available after school today to practice baseball. He said yes, so I lugged some equipment out to my car this morning. I’m currently waiting on the field for him to appear and trying to convince myself not to bolt. Which isn’t working very well for me until I see him striding across the field. He raises a hand, and I wave back.  
“Hey, Keith. How are you?” he says when gets within talking distance.  
“Good. How are you?”  
“I’m great.” He smiles, but then he switches into serious captain mode and asks me some questions.  
“How long have you played baseball?”  
“I played in middle school. All three years,” I say nervously.  
He nods. “Awesome. You were good?”  
“I guess.” Galra Prep’s team was actually pretty good, so I hope I can make the team here even with a year off.  
“Okay. Well, you sound great to me, so let’s see what you’ve got.” He heads to the pitcher’s mound. In the distance, he smiles, and after a moment I smile back.

Saturday

Hunk  
I’m already at a table with my parents when Shay’s family arrives. It’s not like having dinner with patrons is new, but this is the first time hosting someone from school.  
I recognize Shay’s parents when they come in, and then she introduces us to her older brother Rax. A senior. We shake hands, but he doesn’t look very excited to be here.  
I’m seated next to Shay, and while our parents talk about the restaurant, the food, and the public education system, we talk about our precalc project. “I’m kind of at a loss for what to do here, honestly,” she admits. “Oh no,” I say. “You were my last hope!” She laughs. I look at Rax once or twice at the beginning, but he just sits in sullen silence unless his parents or my parents ask him a direct question about school. This could be a very long dinner.

“Hunk, you said you and Shay are in the same precalc class?” Shay’s father asks politely some time into the main course.  
“Yes. Actually, we’re working on one of the projects together,” I say.  
“Oh, really?” Shay’s mom asks, putting down her glass.  
“A real-world precalc application project,” Shay clarifies.  
“Well, Rax can help! He had Mrs. Ralph last year, too.” We all look at Rax. He looks a little uncomfortable, but he nods. “Yeah. I remember that project.” “Thanks,” I say. I exchange a look with Shay. Maybe this could help him warm up to us.

All in all, the dinner turns out really well. I schedule a meeting for after school Monday with Shay and Rax in the library, and Shay promises that we’ll get together on our own sometime. It’s with that in mind that I goofily bid her goodbye. We are by far the last clients in the restaurant.

Monday

Lance  
It’s been a few days, and while okay, getting denied by Nyma hurt, I’m still here. And I still need a prom date.  
“Pidge, is there any chance you want to go to prom?” I ask skeptically. You never know. Of course, it wouldn’t be THAT type of date, but maybe she wanted to go her freshman year. How awful of me would it be to NOT ask?  
Pidge spits out her drink. Thankfully, most of it lands on her tray, but the action alarms Hunk. “Lance,” he says. I wave him off. I had to call him Friday night after my humiliating failure with Nyma, and I don’t want to get into it.  
“No, Lance. Thanks, but...no,” Pidge gasps. Hunk hands her a napkin.  
“Hunk?” I ask. “Are you asking anyone?” If I’m not the only one going alone, it won’t be as bad. “Um,” he says. Right. Shay.  
“Keith? Are YOU asking anyone?” I redirect.  
“No.” The answer is immediate, and I’m surprised by how final it sounds.  
“Really? You’re sure?” I probably sound too surprised to be polite, but I thought he was the prom-going type. Though I’m not sure what I based that on.  
He shakes his head. “I don’t really know anyone, Lance.”  
“Well, it’s still a bit away,” I say. “A few weeks. You could GET to know someone.”  
“No, Lance.” He echoes Pidge and shakes his head again. “I don’t think so.”  
Only slightly disappointed, I lean back against the table.  
“Well, we can go together alone, buddy.” I frown. “Wait.”  
“That’s not what alone means, Lance,” Pidge says, recovered. “But nice try.”

Matt  
I get a call from Shiro almost as soon as we get home. I’ve just plugged in my phone when it starts buzzing.  
“What’s up?” he asks.  
“Hey! Nothing.” I almost turn on a speaker, but then Pidge’s comment about my music taste comes back to me and I hastily push it away. “I’m good. How’s college?”  
He sighs. “I want...TO DIE.”  
I laugh. “So much to look forward to. But hey, you got where you wanted to go. Oriande. That’s an accomplishment if I’ve ever heard of one.”  
There’s a brief silence and I know he’s nodding on the other end of the line. Then, quite randomly: “Hey, do you know a Keith? Keith Kogane?”  
Well, color me surprised. “Keith Kogane?” I ask. Silence (nodding).  
“Yeah. He’s Pidge’s friend. I practiced baseball with him on Friday, and he’s really good!”  
“That’s great!” he says. “Yeah. If you can, can you look out for him? He’s had a tough time.” His tone gets a little more urgent. “You know, he just transferred from Galra Prep to Altea.”  
I find myself nodding. “Yeah, he said he used to go to Galra Prep. But I think he’s good - Lance has really taken him under his wing, and he’s hanging with Hunk and Pidge.”  
“Great.” He sounds satisfied. Then:  
“Isn’t prom coming up?”  
I groan. “Shiro!”  
“There’s plenty of time to ask...Allura,” he suggests.  
“I’ll think about it.” I’m blushing.  
“No, really! It’s your last chance! Remember last year?”  
Low blow, Shiro. Low blow.  
“You made a sign and everything!”  
“And then I threw up on it. Yeah, not happening.”  
“Okay, okay.” He sounds smug. “But just consider it!”  
“Yeah, whatever. Goodbye.” He laughs and I hang up. But he’s already planted the seed, damn it.

Pidge  
“Matt, are you done writing your letter?” I ask impatiently. Once again, I am outside his room, but thankfully I can’t hear any poppin’ new tunes.  
I hear some scuffling noises, and Matt pops his head around the door.  
“Here, Pidge.” He hands me a folded sheet of lined notebook paper. “Thanks.”  
“Okay. I’m going to the post office.”

We try to respond to Dad’s letters as quickly as we can, just because the delivery takes so long. And I don’t mind playing mailman- the walk to the post office is pretty nice, provided it’s not too hot out.  
I pass a woman walking three small dogs, and I almost sigh. Matt and I have been begging my dad for a dog for almost three years (we even made a PowerPoint mostly focused on the statistic that owning a dog makes you live longer), but he is adamant. Well, he is also adamantly allergic, so I can’t exactly blame him for that. Maybe we can get one of those hairless Egyptian cats. I’m ashamed to say that I shiver a little at the thought.  
There isn’t anyone behind the counter in the post office (not a big state-owned operation, but a small, family-owned private one). I try to look into some of the back rooms, but I can’t see anyone. “Hello?” I call.  
After another minute or so, a girl comes out. She doesn’t look old enough to be gainfully employed, but she is very pretty. And very tall. It’s a sore subject for me, but I am not exactly slam dunk material. “Hello. Can I help you?”  
“Yeah. Sure. Thanks. I’m trying to send this one to…” I take out the letter and squint at the address I copied from the last envelope.  
“Woah, woah, woah. Is that...the Blade Institute?” She slides it across the counter towards her. “The research center? The one ‘making groundbreaking discoveries in space exploration?’ That one?” Her voice gets higher and suddenly she sounds a lot younger, maybe only a year or two older than me.  
But mostly I’m surprised that she’s even heard of it. “Yeah. My dad works there.”  
She stares. “You’re the one who sends all the letters?”  
It’s my turn to stare, and she says, “My parents told me. I want to work for them someday. It’s - what your dad does - that’s really cool.” She seems to remember herself then. “Oh! Sorry.” She rings it up, I pay, and then she takes the envelope to the back. I’m near the door when she comes back out and says, “Hey! What’s your name?”  
I have a split-second identity crisis, the universal problem of people with nicknames everywhere. “Katie. My friends call me Pidge, though.”  
She doesn’t bat an eye. “I’m Kris.”  
I kind of nod and turn back to the door. “See you next time!” she calls before it shuts behind me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long! If all of the chapters are as quick as the ones I've put out so far, this is going to be a very, VERY long fic!


	5. Major Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Shay meet with Rax, Allura receives some encouragement, and Keith learns a little more about his mother. 2 new (brief) POVs - I know, I should just chill with the POVs already...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update (and this chapter is so short!). Big things are ahead

Monday (Continued)

Hunk  
I was afraid that Rax would be just as formidable as he’d been during the dinner on Saturday night, and my fears proved somewhat founded when we met in the library. He greeted us quickly and then we all sat down at a table. I felt more like I was attending a business meeting than a casual study group, but Shay dutifully extracted the rubric from her backpack and we started brainstorming. Rax was perfectly polite, but he was obviously uncomfortable with helping us and I didn’t feel confident enough to try to lighten the mood. Any jokes that Shay made fell flat. However, after two hours we’d made enough progress that we felt that meeting again was unnecessary. Shay and I would take it from here.  
“We can finish this up on Wednesday,” she suggested as we went out the door. “Actually, the calculations are individual. You could probably finish it on your own,” Rax said seriously. “Okay. But we’ll check. I’ll text you.” She gave me a little wave. He just looked at me over his shoulder, and I sighed.

Tuesday

Keith  
I see Lance on the way to my next practice with Matt. He’s crossing the field, and I jog to catch up.  
“Hey, Lance! Wait!”  
He turns a little to see who it is, and he stops when I draw even with him.  
“Hey, Keith. Where are you going?”  
“I’m practicing with Matt. Baseball.” I look around, but I don’t see him. I turn back to Lance.  
“Huh. Good luck!” He waves and starts walking off again.  
“Wait. Where are you going?” I ask. He looks over his shoulder. Why isn’t he stopping today?  
“Running an errand for my mom. You know how it is.”  
I scan the field again. Still no Matt.  
I sigh. This doesn’t seem like a good place for a deep conversation, and I had never even dreamed of telling him this before now, but I should probably mention it sooner rather than later.  
“I don’t,” I call awkwardly at his retreating back. He looks around, then faces me. I’ve got his full attention now.  
“My mom left me and my dad when I was seven. Marital difficulties.”  
“Marital difficulties?” he echoes confusedly.  
“I don’t know exactly what happened. She left. I haven’t seen her since.”  
“Dude.” He looks defeated. “You should TALK to her. Do you know where she is now? Is she still in the city?” he asks in a rapid barrage.  
“I’ve looked her up, but there’s nothing. Maybe my dad knows where she is. Maybe he doesn’t.”  
“Keith!” I hear Matt’s voice and look up. He’s striding over from the direction of the school.  
“Oh, there’s Matt. Thanks for listening, Lance.” I start jogging back to the pitch.  
“No, thanks for telling me. Let’s talk about this...later.” Lance is still looking at me when I turn away.

Allura  
I’m still not sure what I’ll do about Lotor, but talking to Acxa would be a good start. She’s already in her seat when I enter the AP Lang classroom, but there are so many students inside already that I resolve to approach her afterwards.  
I lean back in my seat. I need more information. What do I know about Acxa? Ezor, Zethrid, Narti? Very little for certain.  
I sigh. I do know an awful lot about Lotor. We were close friends until about sixth grade, when Honerva fell ill. Zarkon and my father were business partners at the time, but Father discovered that Zarkon was embezzling funds to pay for her treatment and he was forced to expel Zarkon from the company. Honerva is still alive, but hospitalized. I don’t know how Zarkon pays for her bills now.  
No one ever ordered me to stay away from Lotor (though I’m not sure what happened on his end), but we’ve only seen each other at school since. He made a new friend group, but I don’t think that you could say the same for me. I suppose I’ve always hoped that he would come back.  
I’m shaken out of my reverie by the beginning of class. I take a deep breath. Fifty-three minutes before I can approach Acxa.

Matt  
“Hey, Matt?” We’re taking a quick break on the field.  
“Uh huh?” I grab my water bottle and try to squirt some water into my mouth.  
Keith plows on. “My mom left me and my dad when I was in first grade. Just thought you should know.” I freeze. He continues staring out at the field.  
“Wait. What?!”  
He looks surprised. “I realized that I forgot to tell Lance, and then I realized that I forgot to tell...everyone.”  
“Um, Keith, buddy. I’m kind of blown away here. Do you want to TALK about it?”  
“There’s not much to say. She and my dad were arguing. She took a new job somewhere and moved away. I don’t know where she is.”  
“Dude.” I edge a little closer to him. He doesn’t look fazed.  
“Do you want to find her?”  
He hesitates, and I start to feel a little uncertain. Maybe this is a bad idea. Who doesn’t want to find their mom? But then he suddenly nods and looks up. “Yeah. I do.”  
“Okay. Start with the easy stuff first. Look her up. What’s her maiden name?”  
When he says, I recognize it. I know someone else with that name-  
“Acxa!”

Acxa  
Allura comes up to me after English. I will admit, she looks a little nervous.  
“Acxa?” she begins.  
“Allura?” I realize that I’m just staring and turn away to pack up and make the exchange less awkward. It seems to help.  
“I wanted to talk to you about Lotor,” she says to my back. “Do you think I can make amends with him? Does he harbor any hard feelings towards me?”  
Woah.  
“Allura…” I look up then. “I don’t know the whole story, but I think that’s something you need to ask Lotor directly.”  
She blinks. “Of course.”  
“I think he’d be...receptive.” I don’t know what else to say, so she nods and backs out of the classroom.  
When I meet Lotor and the girls in the hall a few minutes later, I’m anxious.  
“Lotor, you won’t believe what just happened.”

Samuel Holt  
I knock on the door of the rec room before I come in.  
“Hello? Krolia?” It’s always nearly empty during the lunch hour. Many of the scientists prefer to take their meals in the cafeteria. But just like always, Krolia is seated in the corner balancing a lunch tray on the small side table. Today she’s poking at the pasta-ish substance I was so suspicious about earlier.  
“Hello, Sam.” She clears some of her belongings away and I sit on one of the sofas.  
“Anything new with you?” I ask lightly. I pop the lid off of a hot soup container.  
“Nothing except this pasta.” She holds a clump of it up to the light. “Has pasta always looked like this?”  
I pause. “How long have you worked here, Krolia?” I know this is a sensitive topic for her, and I prepare another casual comment in case she deflects. The meatloaf is nearly always worse.  
But she just sighs. “Nearly ten years. My contract is almost up.”  
“My contract, too. Though mine was only a year.”  
She nods quickly. Hoping to redirect her, I ask, “What will you do when it’s over?”  
She twists some of the pasta around her fork. Then she lays it down. I set down the soup container in response, too. “I have a son. He must be seventeen now. I’d like to see him and his father.”  
I’m shocked, but it explains a lot. She must miss them terribly.  
“That’s a long time, Krolia.”  
“I haven’t seen him,” she says quietly. “Not once in the ten years.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
She looks up. “His father and I ended on bad terms. I took the job to get away. I hope they’ll let me come back.”  
She’s looking off far in the distance, but I take one of her hands. “They will.”


	6. Major Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance makes another poor decision, Allura and Lotor reconcile, and Keith confronts Acxa about his mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last time I worked on this was August!! I've been so caught up with school and watching the fandom explode over the new seasons that I forgot about this project. I promise I'll update more regularly - we may be hurtling toward the end of the show, but I'd still like to finish this fanfic!

Wednesday

Lance  
I know I told Keith that if we STILL didn’t have dates by Prom we’d go stag, but...he didn’t seem that enthusiastic about it when I mentioned it, right? So it’s not legally binding...Right?  
Oh, who am I kidding? I can already feel Diana disowning me.  
So it’s with a bit of a guilty conscience that I start considering...Allura. What’s the worst that could happen? She could say no, and I could become a laughingstock, but let’s not linger on that one annoying little detail. Anyway, I need a game plan. A good one, this time. Well, I guess I just NEED one this time.  
All of a sudden, Hunk says, “Uh oh. Looks like Lance has something on his mind.” We’re walking the brief walk out of school that we take before we all have to scatter.  
“Lance? A mind? Impossible,” Keith scoffs. Wow. I will admit, he was quick to jump on the Bash-Lance train once he joined our little group.  
I scowl at them. “Knock it off. I’m thinking deep thoughts.”  
Even though my back is technically turned to her, I can feel Pidge rolling her eyes. It’s sort of like a sixth sense. I turn around and say accusingly, “And you. Freshman.”  
“Old man,” she says, not skipping a beat. She adds, “Seriously. All of you. Nursing home fodder.”  
Hunk and Keith exclaim over that just enough that I get let off the hook. Just this once.

I’m waiting to cross the street to the school parking lot with Keith when I remember our conversation yesterday.  
“Oh, yeah! What’s the deal with your mom?” I burst out before internally slapping myself in the face.  
He’s subdued, just watching the cars pass by. Finally, he says, “There’s not much more to say. I guess I’m officially looking for her now.”  
I try to nod. “That’s...good. Try looking her up first. Maybe you can find out where she works.”  
“We can cross now,” he says seriously, and I say, “What?” stupidly until he impatiently grabs my hand and drags me across the street.  
“Sorry.” He seems to realize his force and guiltily releases me on the other side. “I guess I’m having more trouble with finding her than I thought. You know, um...internally.” He gestures awkwardly with his hands, which is strangely...Endearing.  
I cough. “Yeah, man. Well, social media can be your best friend.”  
He nods. Then he says, “I think I have a lead.” He doesn’t say this excitedly, though - more like it’s a burden.  
“Oh? Do tell.” We’ve stopped in the middle of the sidewalk by now.  
“I told Matt, and he says a senior girl here named Acxa has the same maiden name. It’s an unusual one, so I’m hoping-”  
“They’ll be related!” I interrupt. “That’s great! Don’t freak her out when you ask her about it, though.”  
“Yeah.” He hesitates a minute, then heads into the lot. I don’t follow him. “Thanks, Lance,” he calls over his shoulder.  
I stand there until I realize he’s not going to turn around.

Keith  
Once I’m safely at home, I breathe deeply to prepare for the mental gymnastics involved with calling Shiro about my mom. I take one last inhale and then I dial.  
“Hey, Keith. What’s up?”  
I roll my eyes. For a college student, he sure has a lot of free time. It’s almost too convenient for venting my troubles.  
I don’t waste any time getting it out, and after I finish there’s just silence on the other end until I demand, “Shiro?”  
“That’s great news, Keith,” he says hastily. “And I think you should ask, just in case. But I wish you didn’t have to go through her. Even if she IS related to your mom, chances are she won’t know what to do for you, especially with the...special circumstances concerning your mom’s decision.”  
My mouth feels dry. This is a very different outlook from what Matt and Lance gave me. “You mean - my mom might not want to see me?”  
“I doubt that, Keith.” He sounds sincere about that. “But these things are complicated. If she doesn’t seem to know anything or if she can’t help you, it’s not the end of the world. You can still try to find her through other pathways.”  
I know what Shiro’s probably feeling right now: Pity. Lots of it.  
“Yeah, thanks.” I linger on the line a few seconds after he replies, but finally I just end the call.

Thursday

Allura  
I’m opening my locker to get a binder in the morning when I notice a notecard standing end-up against the books.  
I never have notecards lying around.  
I flip it over, and it’s a note:

Allura,  
Axca told me what you asked her yesterday, and I just wanted to say that I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to talk to you. If you are interested, please meet me on the stage during the lunch hour.

And at the bottom it was signed “Lotor” with an impressive flourish.

I make my way to the auditorium as soon as the first bell rings for break. When I enter the hallway leading to the theater, the sounds reverberating around the hallway are silenced as quickly as if I’d put my head underwater.  
I tentatively push the door open, but there’s no one in sight. I finally begin climbing the steps to the stage when Lotor steps out from behind one of the curtains and I start in surprise.  
“Sorry,” he apologizes, rushing forward to offer me his hand. I hadn’t realized I’d frozen on the last step. “Thank you,” I mutter.  
He holds my hand a moment more before releasing it and putting some distance between us.  
“I’m glad you came.”  
“Have you really been waiting for an opportunity to speak with me?” I ask. I instantly regret it. It sounds unnecessarily peevish.  
“Yes. I think we have much to discuss. Here.” I follow him behind the stage, where there are two folding chairs positioned in the middle of a small space cluttered with props. We sit down and I agree, “I think we do.”  
“First of all - Allura.” He looks very earnest. “Like you asked Acxa, I don’t bear any hard feelings towards you for what happened with my father. He made many mistakes, and it was only fair what your father did.”  
“But-” I begin, and he shakes his head. “Don’t claim it was for a good cause. My father could have approached any of our relatives for the money for my mother’s treatment, but his pride would not allow him to. I think a few months in prison has sobered him, at least a little. He has been forced to humble himself and accept their charity.” He flashes me a strange smile.  
“Is your mother-” I begin.  
“She’s all right. I refuse to talk about him when I visit her, and she is supportive of my plan to attend Oriande.” He looks up. “She’s asked about you.”  
“Me?” It’s been years since I last saw Honerva.  
“You were my good friend for so many years. Could we be so again?” For perhaps the first time since we sat down, I look into his eyes, and he looks remorseful.  
I reach over and take his hand. “Of course we can.”

Keith  
After Matt points out Acxa during lunch, I’m determined to approach her. “Oh, Lotor’s not with her,” he mutters, and even though I only have limited knowledge of the guy everyone calls “the Prince,” I’m glad that it’s just one less distraction I have to deal with.  
She’s sitting at a table with three other equally-tough-looking girls, so tough that even Lance probably wouldn’t make a sad attempt at flirting with them. When Acxa excuses herself to presumably use the restroom, I know it’s probably the best chance I’ll get.  
“Bathroom,” I blurt to Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, who just look up confusedly before I’m out of my seat. When I reach the hallway, she’s already gone inside the girls’, so I just pace up and down the hallway until she reappears.  
I reach the end with the trophy case and look inside at the little gold men that I’d been so interested in my first day. Baseball tryouts are tomorrow. I can only hope that I’ve practiced enough with Matt to make it onto the team.  
I hear the door swing open behind me and see Acxa’s reflection in the glass rapidly disappearing.  
I’m walking pretty fast when she glances over her shoulder out of curiosity and I just decide to begin there.  
“Hello. Acxa?”  
“Yes?” She’s stopped now, and I wait until I’m a little closer to start talking again.  
“Hi. My name is Keith Kogane.” I quickly search her face for a sign that the name means something to her, but she’s inscrutable. I get a little more depressed when I realize that she’s probably expecting me to drop a prom proposal.  
I sigh. “My mother is Krolia. I was wondering if you were related to her.”  
There. She reacts - her eyes widen a fraction and her mouth opens slightly, but then she asks seriously, “You’re Krolia’s son?”  
I nod. “I haven’t seen her since I was seven. I was hoping that you could...put me into contact with her.” I realize how terrible that sounds, how demanding.  
“I don’t know whether I can give you that information...Keith?” she says, testing out the name. I nod again. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help.” She seems to mentally straighten herself out again, and she makes a movement as if to continue down the hall.  
“If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”  
I watch her rejoin the cafeteria, and the doors swing shut behind her.

Lotor  
Acxa looks worried when she finds me after school ends for the day.  
“Lotor...I just had the strangest incident.”  
“Allura didn’t approach you again, I hope?” I ask. We make our way down the hall.  
“No, not that. The son of my aunt, who took a job at the Blade Institute and hasn’t seen him or her husband in ten years, just came up to me and asked if he could put me in touch with her.”  
“That is unusual. Did she leave because of the husband?” We move aside to let a faculty member with a red mustache carry a precarious stack of booklets past.  
“I assume so.” A few skim off the top of the stack and the teacher lets out an, “Oh, bother!” He sets down the main stack close to the wall and doubles back to scoop up the stragglers.  
I turn away from him. “And now you’re wondering what to do?”  
Slowly, she nods. “If she hasn’t wanted to see him after all these years-”  
“Write to her. She may have changed her mind.” I must have injected an unusual amount of bitterness into the words, because she says carefully, “Like you wish your father had?”  
That seems like too deep a conversation to be held in a school hallway, so I just sigh and say, “Perhaps.”  
She has the sense to leave it at that.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfic...and I'm nervous (but really, what else is new?). Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to get another chapter out soon.


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